5 Ways to Wear a Suit Without a Dress Shirt

These days we are rarely required to wear a suit, blazer or sports coat. It's our own choice to be well-dressed and we wear these clothes because they appeal to us. So the shackles are off when it comes to menswear which presents many opportunities for us to be creative. So don't limit yourself to only wearing a dress shirt next time you want to look good. In this video I'm going to suggest five alternatives to the dress shirt and how you could wear them with a suit, blazer or sports coat. Depending on your choice it will create either a classic or contemporary aesthetic. Personally I think there's nothing wrong with modernizing the suit and wearing it in a way that appeals to you. At the end of this video I will be sharing a free gift with you so I hope you stick around for that. Let's begin with number one. The first alternative to a dress shirt would be some form of knitwear with your suit or jacket. If you are wearing a suit your knitwear piece must be made of a relatively thin fabric so as not to appear too bulky. For this reason the turtleneck is a very popular choice. You can find turtlenecks made of soft fine fabrics like merino wool and cashmere in every colour imaginable. This look is particularly popular in fall and winter. Naturally a turtleneck is a little warmer than a dress shirt and it's also a good opportunity to wear slightly darker colours. For example you could choose oatmeal, light brown or olive green to create an autumnal aesthetic. The turtleneck lowers the formality of the outfit but it's still an acceptable business casual look. It could also work well if you want to present yourself as a creative person or an academic. The turtleneck is a piece we see used time and time again to create that dark academia look. Overall people generally love or hate the turtleneck. Although I think it looks good on many men, personally I don't wear one myself. I simply don't find that it suits me. Although the turtleneck is not your only option. If you want to wear thicker types of knitwear, for example a fisherman knit crewneck sweater, I would recommend going with a sports coat instead of a suit. That's exactly what I did with today's outfit. Because the sports coat is made of a thick harris tweed with its own texture, it balances out nicely with the knit of the sweater. If I were to wear this sweater with a suit it would frankly look quite odd. Another good way to pair knitwear with a sports coat would be to wear a v-neck sweater over a dress shirt. Again this is a look that's very dark academia. The polo shirt is a natural step down in formality from the dress shirt. A crisp white polo underneath a navy suit could still look very polished and professional and still acceptable in many business casual situations. A polo also works well with a more casual suit that has some kind of pinstripe or check. Or you could wear it with a suit made of a lightweight summer fabric. This is a very country club old money type of look but it makes for less of a distance in formality between the shirt and the jacket. This would also be a good time to add a polo shirt that has no buttons, known as a johnny collar polo. Or you could choose a polo shirt that has some kind of texture. You could even wear a dark navy polo shirt underneath a light colored suit to create some contrast. Whenever wearing a polo with a jacket or suit make sure it's a crisp polo shirt with a strong collar. This isn't the time to pull out that one that you wear when mowing the lawn on Sundays. This needs to be one of your best polos. Now we come to a look that I have seen many young guys on Instagram wearing and this is the cuban collar shirt with a suit. The cuban collar is also known as a camp collar or revere collar but I'm going to stick to the term cuban collar. If you live in a hot place like Miami, Dubai or even LA this is a great way to wear a suit that looks cool and suave and needless to say it's going to be much more lightweight and breathable than a typical cotton dress shirt. You can either wear the collar of the shirt over the collar of your suit or under it. Popping the collar over looks quite flamboyant and bad boy but it can also look a bit 1970s so you have to see what works best for you. A cuban collar shirt also buttons much lower on your chest than a regular dress shirt so if you're into necklaces this is a good time to accessorize. In my opinion the cuban collar shirt does not look so good with a more typical conservative business suit like navy or charcoal pinstripes but it's a perfect match for summer suits and pastel colors. When it comes to the color of the shirt you can't go wrong with white but much like the polo don't be afraid to create contrast if you're wearing a light colored suit. Go for a navy shirt or even black if it's night time. I know the thought of wearing a t-shirt with a suit is going to provoke some strong reactions in the comments and although I don't do it myself I do think there is an elegant and sophisticated way you can pull it off. I am of the opinion that a crisp white t-shirt is the best option and it only really looks good with a more casual or summer suit. I also really like to see a t-shirt worn with a double-breasted suit. I think the extra presence of that jacket really helps pull things together and much like the polo it's crucial here that your t-shirt is in immaculate condition without any stains or wrinkles. You need to be looking as sharp as possible if you want to pull this off. Now if you thought the t-shirt was too casual then hold on because I'm about to talk about wearing a tank top also known as a wife beater with a suit. This is a look that a lot of celebrities are wearing and therefore it's becoming more and more popular among young men. My thoughts on this look are quite similar to the t-shirt with the right suit I quite like it. The ribbed texture of a tank top adds an extra dimension and the low neckline makes the suit look even more laid back and on the right guy very sexy. Again this is the perfect opportunity to accessorize with some necklaces however there is one big downside to wearing a tank top with a suit. Obviously there's no material under your arms so any sweat is going to go right onto that jacket. That means you're going to need this jacket dry cleaned a hell of a lot more than you would with any of the other options in this video. For me the tank top looks best with a double-breasted jacket and I think the fit needs to be overall quite relaxed just don't take it too far like a certain Canadian pop star. One man who I think does this look very well is Austin Butler. I like the way he wore it here with the white double-breasted jacket and then the contrasting relaxed fit black pants. Gentlemen I want to hear from you in the comments which is your favorite of the five options I shared in this video? Do you like to wear knitwear with your formal pieces? Do you like to don a polo with your suit? Or perhaps you enjoy the more casual options like the Cuban collar shirt, the t-shirt or the tank top? Whatever you prefer I encourage you to choose wisely whenever making a clothing purchase. A gentleman is considered and deliberate as he builds his wardrobe and that's why I have created a free clothes shopping cheat sheet as a gift to you. This is a two-page visual cheat sheet that you can download to your phone or your computer. Next time you're shopping you can go through each step on the cheat sheet to make sure that what you're buying is high quality and a wise investment for you. There is a link in the description to where you can get this cheat sheet so I hope you take advantage of that. Thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one.